Blood Song by Anthony Ryan

November 30, 2013

A review by David Gibson

Blood Song is a pureblood epic fantasy that provided exactly the fantasy kick I was looking for when I dived in.

The book opens with an account in first person perspective from a time near the end of the book, which excellently establishes a sense of mystery around our protagonist, Vaelin Al Sorna. The rest of the book is then spent unpacking that mystery, delving into the myriad events and people who shaped Vaelin’s life.

There is so much to praise about this book. The characters are complex, constructed from interpersonal relationships and emotions so they resonate extremely well. Plot and worldbuilding also maintain this high standard, gradually growing and deepening as the narrative progresses. Watching the world of Blood Song unfold was an immensely satisfying and immersive experience for me.

This may come off as raving but part of me rebels against the giving away of plot or character developments that would be necessary in order to really break down a scene. However, it would be lazy just to heap praise on something, so I will do like the frustrated writing student and analyse the opening.

I’m skipping the perspective account because the narration of chapter one is the voice used for the majority of the novel. Now onwards.

The mist sat thick on the ground the morning Vaelin’s father took him to the House of the Sixth Order. He rode in front, his hands grasping the saddles pommel, enjoying the treat. His father rarely took him riding.

There is a lot packed into this first paragraph; the misty morning, a cold somewhat forlorn image; the young Vaelin’s joy, contrasted with the obvious distance between him and his father. Immediately we evoke the well-trodden path of father-son conflict, something that if the book had delivered poorly on, I would be savaging without remorse.

As the scene continues we learn that Vaelin’s mother recently died, and his father, who is the Battle Lord (High Commander) of the realm, is undergoing a black period. Vaelin’s father speaks only once during this entire scene, after the two arrive at the House of the Sixth Order.

“Vaelin,” he said in his course, warrior’s voice. “Do you remember the motto I taught you? Our family creed.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Tell me.”

“ ‘Loyalty is our strength’.”

“Yes. Loyalty is our strength. Remember it. Remember you are my son and that I want you to stay here. In this place you will learn many things, you will become a brother of the Sixth Order. But you will always be my son, and you will honour my wishes.”

These are, to get into mild spoilers, the only words we ever hear the battle lord say to his son and they echo though much of the narrative, giving us insight into Vaelin’s internal struggle.

This level of writing persists thought the entire novel. It is a bit of an injustice to reduce it to such cold, broad analytical strokes, as it removes most of the author’s flair and voice.

I said above that this story was a pureblood epic fantasy and in keeping with that the story follows recognisable patterns and archetypes. But it is the particular skill with which Anthony Ryan draws upon those patterns and archetypes that makes Blood Song so compelling.

Now to contradict myself: Blood Song is also excellent at keeping the reader guessing. Mystery and intrigue are heavily present in the book. The story draws upon a broad enough spectrum of the fantasy genre that it managed to include a number of genuine twists I simply didn’t see coming.

There are a few nit-picks I feel compelled to make.

Firstly, while the cover is one of very few photographic-image covers I actually like, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the worldmap, which, while largely unimportant to the story itself, is usually one of my favourite things about a fantasy novel.

Secondly, this book is very much the beginning of a trilogy. While trying to avoid spoilers, the ending felt somewhat unsatisfying as it left a lot open for the next book. This is fine, perhaps even a good idea on the author’s part as it leaves me ravenous for more. Still, it was frustrating as the story question for the series as a whole is revealed quite late in the book (although it is foreshadowed earlier).

So to finish up, Blood Song is an excellent fantasy book that you should defiantly put on your reading list. However, if you are incredibly bad at waiting, you may want to hold out for when Tower Lord is released. Which, fortunately for me, looks like it’s going to be early next year (Official dates aren’t out yet).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: iTunes | RSS In 2015, Nalini Haynes interviewed Joe Abercrombie about his Shattered Sea trilogy. Below are the planned introduction and interview questions. Joe Abercrombie spent much of his youth playing [...]

Share this:

Dark Matter and Studio Canal are excited to offer Australian residents the opportunity to win 1 of 5 double passes to see Manny Lewis in cinemas. To enter, email editor@darkmatterzine.com with ‘Manny Lewis’ in the subject heading and your postal address in the email before 5pm AEDT [...]

Share this:

A review by Nalini Haynes ISBN: 9781472215079 Format: paperback, 468 pages Publisher: Headline (Hachette) The Raven’s Head is a gothic romance set in 13th century Europe. Five-year-old Wilky is offered in trade for his father’s debt. The monks collect their [...]

Share this:

A review by Rebecca Muir The Darwin Elevator is the first book in Jason M Hough’s Dire Earth Cycle. It is a dystopian novel set in Darwin, Australia in 2283. Seventeen years ago an unmanned alien ship arrived in orbit [...]

Share this:

The World SF convention started in 1939. In the past 73 years, it seems no-one has realised that it’s difficult for mobility impaired members to get to panels or that they might need a little extra space. (When I wrote [...]

Share this:

First thing in the morning, Smokey, my kitteh, harasses me to brush her then she tends to settle in full view of a window, usually the living room window or a window on the east side of the house that offers [...]

Share this:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: iTunes | RSS The Queers Destroy Science Fiction edition of Lightspeed Magazine is currently open on Kickstarter for financial contributions. Contributions’ terms and conditions are also listed on the kickstarter page. Lightspeed Magazine [...]

Share this:

A review by Rebecca Muir The Last Quarrel is the first part of a new epic fantasy series by Duncan Lay. It is so epic that The Last Quarrel has been broken up into five episodes, scheduled to be released [...]

Share this:

You may have noticed that Dark Matter Zine has changed. DMZ runs on WordPress, formerly on the Suffusion theme. The problem is that Suffusion was no longer being maintained and was still stuck in the past using HTML4 while the [...]

Connect with Dark Matter Zine

Dark Matter and Studio Canal are excited to offer Australian residents the opportunity to win 1 of 5 double passes to see Manny Lewis in cinemas. To enter, email editor@darkmatterzine.com with ‘Manny Lewis’ in the subject heading and your postal address in the email before 5pm AEDT [...]

Share this:

A review by Nalini Haynes ISBN: 9781472215079 Format: paperback, 468 pages Publisher: Headline (Hachette) The Raven’s Head is a gothic romance set in 13th century Europe. Five-year-old Wilky is offered in trade for his father’s debt. The monks collect their [...]

Share this:

Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Spock on Star Trek’s classic series and in so many of the movies, died at the age of 83. A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except [...]

Share this:

The Aurealis Awards are a collection of judged awards focusing on science fiction, fantasy and horror by Australian authors and authors living in Australia. Best Fantasy Novel Fireborn by Keri Arthur (Hachette Australia) This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner [...]

Share this:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: iTunes | RSS In 2015, Nalini Haynes interviewed Joe Abercrombie about his Shattered Sea trilogy. Below are the planned introduction and interview questions. Joe Abercrombie spent much of his youth playing [...]

Share this:

Campervan My idea of hell: a family camping trip with hubby driving over rough terrain. (He seems to think city speeds are suitable, much to the sadness of our old car whose suspension had to be replaced after a trip [...]

Share this:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: iTunes | RSS In 2015, Nalini Haynes interviewed Joe Abercrombie about his Shattered Sea trilogy. Below are the planned introduction and interview questions. Joe Abercrombie spent much of his youth playing [...]

Share this:

Dark Matter and Studio Canal are excited to offer Australian residents the opportunity to win 1 of 5 double passes to see Manny Lewis in cinemas. To enter, email editor@darkmatterzine.com with ‘Manny Lewis’ in the subject heading and your postal address in the email before 5pm AEDT [...]

Share this:

This post is February in review: categories grouped together with links. Cheers. February 2015 will forever be remembered as the time Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played the original Spock from Star Trek, died. RIP Leonard Nimoy. Articles 2015-01: January in [...]